BMW S 1000 R - Searing Stripped-Down Supersport

It was in Almeria in southern Spain that we rode the updated BMW S 1000 R. It rained so heavily during this first ride that the roads soon turned into veritable rivulets. Frankly, we could not have asked for better conditions to appreciate how this good motorcycle has become even better in all respects.

- Roland Brown

MORE POWER, LESS weight, better electronics. That sounds like a pretty good recipe for any modern superbike’s revamp, especially when the original model is as good as the S 1000 R. The stripped-down, high-barred machine based on BMW’s super-sports S 1000 RR blew the super-naked division apart on its launch in 2014, with a blend of searing four-cylinder performance, light and agile chassis, sophisticated electronics and competitive price.

Three years later, the S 1000 R gets its first major update, gaining a revised chassis and electronic system as well as the engine-related changes required by Euro 4 emission legislation. The 999-cc, 16-valve powerplant remains mechanically unchanged but intake mods and a new exhaust with titanium Akrapovic silencer comply with the regulations while also adding five horsepower to offer a maximum of 165 PS at 11,000 rpm.

The carbon-fibre capped silencer contributes to a subtly updated look, as does the R-bike’s slightly slimmer front section due to cut-down bodywork. The frame is also new, made from four aluminium sections welded together as before, but the main front section reworked along the lines of the S 1000 RR’s, and the rear made lighter. Weighing 205 kg with its 17.5-litre tank full, the new R-model has a two-kg advantage over its predecessor.

Some minor mods are apparent after you’ve thrown a leg over the seat, too, though you’d probably have to be an S 1000 R owner to spot them. The instrument console is angled more steeply, to reduce glare, and a redesigned top triple clamp holds a one-piece handlebar that is now rubber mounted to counter vibration. The slim pillion seat is also reshaped.